Strong polarization
According to the study, the social distance index reached 2.6 points in 2025, up from 2.1 in the previous year.
The data were released by the Partnership for Development Center. They are based on attitudes towards 13 minority groups, including people with disabilities, ex-prisoners, LGBT+, other ethnic groups and people who do not speak the state language.
“The Republic of Moldova is characterized by a pronounced polarization of society, where identity themes, rhetoric and promoted traditional values are significantly reinforced. Under these conditions, minorities, especially LGBT+ and people with HIV/AIDS, are more often instrumentalized in political and media discourse. In addition, the war near our country’s borders has contributed to a persistent sense of insecurity, social anxiety and collective fatigue. When people feel insecure, they tend to be less tolerant of those they consider “other”. Acceptance of diversity takes a back seat to security and economic survival,” said Cristina Cojocaru of the Partnership for Development Center.
Standard of living is affected
Increased social distance has also been attributed to socioeconomic hardship, high cost of living and misinformation that reinforces fears and prejudices.
Despite the overall negative dynamics, experts note some positive trends: language tolerance is growing and acceptance of people with physical disabilities is increasing.
The social distance index is calculated on a Bogardus scale from 0 to 6, where 0 means complete acceptance, and 6 means complete rejection, up to the idea of excluding the group from the country.
